College and University Education News

American Jobs Act Has Ambitious Scope

Wednesday, Oct, 11, 2017 03:34PM

President Barack Obama recently announced that the American Jobs Act, which he says will put millions back to work, would be paid for by taxes on the wealthy. If it's passed, students enrolled in college programs online may face a more optimistic job marked upon completion of the courses.

The effort to get people back to work and stop the job hemorrhaging has many facets, including a plan to prevent 280,000 teacher layoffs and keep police officers and firefighters on the job.

Students earning an information technology degree could encounter more opportunities related to the administration's plan to expand access to high-speed wireless internet. The American Jobs Act also would modernize at least 35,000 public schools across the country, supporting the development of new science labs, internet-ready classrooms and renovations.

A Returning Heroes hiring tax credit will encourage employers to hire veterans who otherwise typically have a difficult time finding jobs post-combat. In late August, officials reported that unemployment among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans was around 23 percent - more than twice the national average.

A tax credit of $5,600 to $9,600 would encourage employers to hire veterans like Chris Mangan, who has been unemployed since June 2010, CBS reported. The tax cut would allow vets a chance to prove that their training has made them dedicated and disciplined employees.

"We're just looking for the opportunity to prove that and asking for the opportunity to prove to them," Mangan told the news outlet.

The act also would throw a safety net to unemployed workers by extending a $4,000 tax credit for employers that hire long-term unemployed workers. Employees out of work sometimes come with a stigma that they're damaged goods, preventing them from having an equal opportunity with some employers.

For instance, the National Employment Law Project recently shed light on job ads that included "exclusions based on current employment status," the agency said. Indeed.com removed the ads after learning of the discrimination.

“We have seen instances in which employers are explicitly saying we don’t want to take a look at folks who've been unemployed," Obama said on a recent radio appearance. "Well, that makes absolutely no sense, and I know there’s legislation that I’m supportive of that says you cannot discriminate against folks because they’ve been unemployed, particularly when you’ve seen so many folks who, through no fault of their own, ended up being laid off because of the difficulty of this recession."